If this is your first visit, be sure to
check out the FAQ by clicking the
link above. You may have to register
before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages,
select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below.

This is a usual Spinblocking Set. Iron Fist is obvious in here. The first thing to do is set SR and you since you get one extra turn on switch out(most likely after thespinblock) it becomes all too easy.

Polish those rocks to be at full speed and surpass most of NU threats in 1 move and then Punch away to victory! Drain your opponents life to gain some hp back from Life Orb damage, or use STAB+Iron Fist+Life Orb Shadow punch! Ice Punch give you the best coverage!

I don't use "uber" Pokemon, I don't calculate stat values, I don't use cheating devices, I don't breed my way to perfection, and I don't care about natures. I catch my Pokemon the way they are, and treat them like individuals instead of brainless drones. If you use this philosophy, copy & paste this into your signature. (Started by Tyranitar)

Golurk is something I never really used, but it has a bit of potential.

Pros: Golurk's typing, while weak in other ways, gives it three immunities, allowing elbow room for switch-ins. Having a base 124 attack is respectable, especially considering its abilities. Iron Fist works great on Golurk, not only buffing up the super accurate STAB Shadow Punch, but also it's extensive punch move set that is on par with Hitmonchan's, which can make it difficult to get a safe switch in. In addition, Golurk also has the infamous No Guard as its dream world ability, along with Dynamic Puch, allowing it to emulate Machamp to a great degree. Finally, Golurk has access to STAB Earthquake.

Cons: Aside from physical attack, Golurk is lacking in every other area stat-wise, aside from HP {which is decent}. Base 55 speed is poor, but somewhat viable in trick room. Base 80 defense gives a slight degree of bulk, but when considering that aside from Golurk has five weaknesses, some of them being very common attack types, Golurk needs to tread cautiously. Burning Golurk will also stop it, as it as few support moves and its special attack is salvageable.

There is only one reason to bring Golurk into the OU metagame: Terrakion. Golurk is immune to fighting and resists rock. Golurk's decent bulk compliments this. Golurk has the option of using its bulk for being a decent Stealth Rock user. On offense, Golurk has the ability Iron Fist to compliment the elemental punches, STAB Shadow Punch, and DRAIN PUNCH!!!!!
However, while Golurk's defensive type is a blessing in resisting the staples of fighting types, it leaves it open to other common attacks. These include Surf, Hydro Pump, Waterfall, AQUA JET, Grass moves, Ice Beam, and PURSUIT. The ones in caps are the big ones. Not only that, Golurk is very slow, and has only Drain Punch and Rest for recovery moves. If Terrakion is ripping your team apart, consider Golurk. Otherwise, skip the automaton.

Golurk never really was great in the upper tiers, but it has a nice niche in NU as a bulky physical lead. Golurk gets two abilities that really help it out in the form of Iron Fist and No guard, the former allowing it to hit harder with a ton of attacking moves including Shadow and Drain Punch, and No guard allows it to spam DynamicPunch and confuse stuff while dealing some solid damage. Golurk also has the bulk to reliably set up Stealth Rock for leading.
This set is used as a lead on Golurk, having it start off by hitting something for damage or setting up Stealth Rock. Shadow Punch and Earthquake are going to be your 2 generic STAB moves with Golurk, and should always be on it. Drain Punch is also helpful as it gets an Iron fist boost, can be used for coverage, AND heals at the same time. It's actually useful in a lot of situations. Stealth Rock is a good choice for the last slot as not much can OHKO it in NU, but if you are worried about coverage you can opt for one of the Elemental Punches.

Golurk has a solid amount of options with a nice moveset and 2 useable abilities, so this is just one option. This set allows Golurk to take full advantage of it's No guard ability and hand out DynamicPunches at 100% accuracy. Shadow Punch and Earthquake are there for basic STAB, DynamicPunch is for confusing and Fighting Coverage, and Stone Edge is for a strong Rock type move, but swapping it for an Elemental Punch is never a bad idea.

Counters: Golurk is rather hard to counter due to the fact that it has a really diverse movepool and is hard to kill. Normal/Flying types get a mention as they are immune to both STABs. Braviary With a Choice Band will either OHKO or leave some serious damage to Golurk with Brave Bird, and a Scarfed Wailord will bring the hurt with Water Spout. Anything that can Burn it will also cripple Golurk.

I'd also like to mention that Golurk gets Fly for some reason. So if you're really hurting for Flying coverage because you can't put in a flying type, uh, it's an option?

Last edited by Melonhead215; 11th August 2013 at 4:44 PM.

...Well, if you think I'm gonna type my name in some rediculous swirly cursive font, well, that's not happening. At least for now.

Hmmm...how to start...it makes a great HM Slave alongside Basculin, but that's not what we're here for.

Stats:
-HP - Good - Base 89 is pretty good for a Ghost Type and rather average for a Ground Type.
-Attack - Above Godly - Base 124 is huge, especially with STAB Earthquake and other high-power Moves.
-Defense - Average - Base 80...do I really need to repeat myself every time this comes up in a non-HP Stat? I might as well just say "Base 80" and put a period after it the next time it comes up...
-Sp.Atk - Bad - Base 55 is about as much trash as a horde of Garbodor.
-Sp.Def - Average - Base 80.
-Speed - Dead Zone - Base 55 is a smidge too high for my taste when it comes to Trick Room usage (anything from 51-79 is the Dead Zone for Speed for me) and Ghost Types can't use Curse as a buff, but you do get Hammer Arm and Gyro Ball for Trick Room sets.

Abilities:
-Iron Fist - Yum-maaaaay. You get an additional 20% out of STAB Shadow Punch (Effective-Base Power 108), Hammer Arm, Focus Punch, Dynamicpunch, Mega Punch, Drain Punch, Ice Punch, Fire Punch, and Thunderpunch.
-Klutz - If you can find a use for it, go nuts. I can't say it's effective past Iron Fist or No Guard, but it has merit for Fling + Flame/Toxic Orb, I guess...
-No Guard (DW) - Say it with me: Dynamicpunch. Dy-freakin'-namicpunch. Also good for Stone Edge, Toxic, and very-little-much else...

Allies:
Flying Types and Water Types that aren't Ground Types can thank Arceus for Golurk. Similarly, Normal Types, Steel Types, Rock Types, and Ice Types that aren't Ghost Types accept you as a blessing. However, your vulnerability to 5 Types (4 of which - Water, Ice, Ghost, and Dark - are quite common and the 5th is Grass) make it difficult to tank anything long enough to slam a couple of hard hits into an opponent. Grass/Dark and Grass/Steel resist all 5 of Golurk's Weaknesses, but aren't too plentiful (Nuzleaf/Shiftry, Cacturne, and Ferroseed/Ferrothorn) and have their own huge problems (Bug and Fire, respectively).

Golurk is one of my personal favorites from Unova. It's biggest asset is it's unique typing which gives it three handy immunities. It's one of the only Pokemon to resist the common Fighting/Rock attack combo. And it's the only fully-evolved spinblocker who can lay Stealth Rocks of its own. Even though Smogon lists it as NU, it can perform it's duties in almost any metagame.

What really lets it down in my opinion is its defenses. 89/80/80 is just ok, and on a Pokemon without reliable recovery expected to function as a defensive check, it can be worn down fairly quickly. If you're going to use it, use it on a team that can make good use of its immunities. Empoleon, for example, appreciates a teammate who can block fighting and electric attacks while it can block water and ice. It won't fit on every team but with the right support it can be very good at what it does.

Most of the good sets have been mentioned (besides SubPunch which works great if you come in on a choiced Pokemon who can't hit you). Golurk has to be adapted to what your team needs, so stick to the coverage moves that will be help your team out.

Defeated Super Single Subway Master Ingo - August 19th, 2013

Searching for: Litwick - Near Perfect IVs, Manetric (Shiny) - Good IVs, Switcheroo
Can offer high IV'd Bagons, Digletts, and Darumakas, as well as DWs, Pokerus, and more, PM me if interesting in negotiating.

With only a 55 base speed Golurk with max speed investment + choice scarf can be very effective due its suprise factor.
In NU tier it can also almost outspeed every pokemon aside from 110 Base speed and above (without choice scarf)
so yeah that is something to be impressed over, especially that only serperior, Jumpluff and floatsel are the most dangerous ones that can outspeed it with max speed investment.
With his role as suprise revenge killer plus even spin-blocker and immunity to TW, it does it's job very well with the combination of Iron first + punches, above average coverage moves and an healing option with Power-up drain punch. EQ is for stab, Ice punch to kill Evio Tangela 2hko or 3hko., or other ground types that might want to wall him. The last slot is pure for what your team could need but personally go for Thunder punch to kill flying types with, as stone edge is not reliable to do since the choice scarf.

I have more sets for him, but screw it. I'm sure others will come up with TR versions or SUBpunches etc..

Gravity makes Golurk scary, perfect accuracy Dynamicpunch and an Earthquake that can hit Flying-types and Levitators. Stone Edge benefits well from Gravity as well but Shadow Punch gets STAB and Iron Fist boosts along with perfect coverage with Dynamicpunch.

A Substitute + Focus Punch Combo. Pretty straightforward, but I included Curse as an option to force a switch if your opponent selects something that Golurk cannot power through.

Other mentions:

Stealth Rock is an option if you want Golurk for support. Also in Doubles or Triples you can combine Klutz, Fling and a stat boosting Berry to give a boost to your teammate, and if said teammate happens to have Justified as an Ability they get an extra attack boost.

Got Pokémon X. Intend to get either Omega Ruby or Alpha Sapphire.
No info about my Friend Safari.
Vivillon Pattern: Polar
Looking for nicknamed, shiny, and/or have a hidden ability in GTS and may battle at anytime.
If interested, send a private message with your ID #.

Let's get soemthing clear. I LOVE ghost types. that being said, I have always been under the idea that Golurk needed to be up there with Gengar and Jellicent. For that reason I now present the set I used for competitive play.

This set can be used in a trick room team ideally, and if it is, then go with Brave/Iron Fist/Shadow Punch instead of Rock Polish, though personally with rock polish it would be able to maintain its speed. So the idea is to come into something that you resist (terrakion) and use rock polish, at double speed Golurk is outsped by little.

Earthquake is strong and gets stab and stone edge is for everything that is outside its range. Dynamic Punch is where its at though. The confusion luck will win you games, and even if it doesnt, Golurk has some bulk to help it sponge a hit, though if you're using life orb then not really. Most people under estimate this but truly, it has swept unprepared teams before. Even if just for the suprise factor. Though using this set it hits Dragonite, Gyarados and Salamence hard. And before using Rock Polish it can hit skarmoury by hitting with Stone Edge until it roosts and then hitting with Earthquake with prediction. Though it could just outstall with Dynamic Punch...

Honestly I may be a bit bias due to my INSANE love for this beast. But seriously, Golurk is a hidden foe to be reconned with! Also it gets fly :P

This set is based on setting up Stealth Rock entry hazard, then DynamicPunching your opponent into confusion, causing them to run the risk of hurting themselves or having to switch out into Stealth Rocks. Golurk should have a staple attacking move, coming in the form of Earthquake or Shadow Punch (reason for Shadow Punch listed above). Telekinesis is there to increase the accuracy of DynamicPunch (it increases the accuracy of all moves for 3 turns). Maximum Attack allows for massive, if not fatal damage from DynamicPunch and the rest is there to add to Golurk's bulk. The Wide Lens increases DynamicPunch's accuracy even further, so you needn't waste turns missing.

Automaton Grim Reaper
Ability: Iron Fist
Nature: Relaxed/Sassy

Toxic
Curse/Iron Defense
Substitute
Protect/Shadow Punch

EVs: 252 HP, 128 Def, 128 SDef
Item: Leftovers

The Golurk giveth and the Golurk taketh away....and this one takes away slowly and painfully. An unusual set for a powerful Attack-based Pokemon, this a common set on an uncommon Pokemon. Iron Fist is your best-bet ability here, as Klutz will disable Leftovers and since you can't directly attack your opponent, No Guard just makes you a sitting duck. To start off with, Toxic your opponent to begin its demise. Then use Curse (Golurk is part Ghost-type, remember?) to add to the victim Pokemon's misery. If you think Toxic will do the trick, add Iron Defense to the moveset to hold out against incoming damage. Leftovers will slowly but surely regenerate your lost health, and you can use Substitute and Protect to last out your opponent. If you're not comfortable without an attacking move, replace Protect with Shadow Punch, which goes well with Iron Fist. The EVs are designed to help Golurk take hits, and the increased HP means more HP for the substitute.

One of the most annoying sets you could run on a Golurk, this set focuses on Focus Punch. Flash and Double Team allow you to set up and avoid getting hit, so that Focus Punch works. If and when it works, Iron Fist gives it a nightmarish 20% increase in power. If all else fails, resort to good old STAB Earthquake. But, if you're facing something like Gengar, which is a Ghost-type with Levitate, you might want to use Shadow Punch since Focus Punch and Earthquake won't affect it. Pair this up with Toxic Orb/Poison Heal Gliscor and your opponent will probably just rage quit. Nature should be Attack-promoting. EV spread maximises on Attack while ensuring that you can still take hits. Black Belt means even Snorlax and Blissey will beg for mercy from a Focus Punch.

Note that smogon and many other players ban Double Team in competitive play. While I am not sure about flash, considering Haze and switching out negates the accuracy buffs.

^Most people who ban Double Team also ban Flash and Sand-attack.
I'd almost be inclined to put defensive EVs and Leftovers on this. I mean, if the thing is set up, it's going to be fairly stally and will have plenty of time to whack stuff, and is probably strong enough with Iron fist. That way IF it gets hit, it can stay in longer and keep hitting. Defensive EVs will also help it set up.

...Well, if you think I'm gonna type my name in some rediculous swirly cursive font, well, that's not happening. At least for now.

This is a pretty basic set. Stealth Rock/Rock Polish gives you either a speed boost or hazard option. Everything else is great for destruction. If going with Rock Polish Drain Punch can be used to heal and avoid Hammer Arm's speed drop. Ice Punch gives the best coverage.

Important Notes: This set requires Trick Room support for best results.
Earthquake is Earthquake and everybody already knows how powerful that move is with a STAB boost.
Shadow Punch gets STAB and the Iron Fist boost and never misses unless your opponent has a Normal-type Pokémon.
Hammer Arm works well in Trick Room, increasing Golurk's Speed instead of decreasing, while Drain Punch is a reliable healing move for Golurk and packs quite a punch due to Golurk's high Attack.
Ice Punch hits those pesky Normal and Flying-types which are immune to Golurk's STAB's.
About the items, Choice Band makes Golurk hitting like a temple guardian, limiting the fighting robot to use only one move, which requires some prediction to pull out correctly while Life Orb only increases Golurk's offenses by 30% instead of 50%, but allows the mechatronic golem to switch moves freely (Drain Punch recommended in that case).

This set assigns Golurk to a more defensive role. With sub-par defenses and speed that compares in equal to Pignite, its high attack stat makes up for its shortcomings. Drain Punch will be its main source of healing, as well as its signature attack (for this set) thanks to Iron Fist, adding power to its punches. Iron Defense adds a two-layer shield that adds two stages to its defense, increasing its survivability by a notch against physical attackers, while Rock Polish boosts its terrible speed up to usable levels. Fire Punch destroys grass and ice types that threaten its survival, cripple bugs that make Drain Punch ineffective, and break steels that have neutral effectiveness against said move. Stone Edge hits Flash Fire Chandelure hard, who would otherwise be COMPLETELY unaffected by either attacking moves. Big Root increases the amount of health recovered by Drain Punch, while Life Orb adds additional firepower to all its attacks, but comes with recoil damage. Now if only it came with Sucker Punch...

This set takes advantage of No Guard in rendering accuracy problems non-existent. Rock Polish increases its speed in order to make sweeping easier. Dynamic Punch, when normally burdened with the incredibly low accuracy rate of 50, hits hard and ensures confusion occurs after a successful hit. Stone Edge hits flying types and ice types hard, with a good chance of a critical hit. The last move depends on what item you have. Earthquake gains STAB with its high power. Substitute, when paired with leftovers, lets it take a couple more hits from potentially devastating attacks.

Quick piece of advice: generally speaking, you should be running Iron Fist on most Golurk sets. While No Guard + Dynamicpunch is a cool gimmick, it's usually more beneficial to go with Iron Fist for the 20% boost to Shadow Punch and Ice Punch (and Drain Punch, if you choose to use it). The confusion rate isn't going to help all that much in most instances, and it needs Iron Fist for feats such as the CB set 2HKOing Tangela with Ice Punch after SR. However, No Guard + Dynamicpunch is kinda cool on the Stealth Rock sets if you intend to lead with Golurk. With Dynamicpunch, you can break opposing Sturdy and Sashes and prevent slower opponents from getting up hazards 50% of the time, only to KO the opponent during the next turn. If you don't plan on leading with Golurk often, though, I'd probably stick with Iron Fist to guarantee the 2HKO against Misdreavus with Shadow Punch, guarantee the 2HKO on Musharna after Stealth Rock, almost guarantee a 3HKO on Tangela after Stealth Rock, etc.

Originally Posted by Melonhead215

^Most people who ban Double Team also ban Flash and Sand-attack.

Nah, Flash and Sand Attack are rarely ever banned, if at all. The difference is that if you're hit by Flash, you can just switch out and get rid of the accuracy drops, while it's a lot more complicated trying to deal with an opponent boosting their own evasion with Double Team. That's not to say that Flash is a good move to use, but it's legal.